Milan’s last goodbye to Philippe Daverio. The widow: “She didn’t expect it, she had so many plans”

The funeral home of Philippe Daverio, the art historian who died yesterday in Milan at the age of 70. The white coffin covered with red roses is in the Passion Room. On the coffin, the widow, Elena Gregori, he placed the decoration of the legion of honor, a red rose, a bow tie and glasses, unmistakable signs of his gaze. Before entering, many left a message in the signature records outside the funeral home. Where we read: “You have been great”, “Thank you for your availability”, “You have been a quality man”. Someone also left a phrase in French and a lady brought a sunflower. Upon entering the funeral home, the first thing you hear is Daverio’s voice: a giant screen projects the video “Pierino e il Lupo”, the work of Sergej Prokofiev of which the critic is the narrator, made a few years ago. at the Brera Art Gallery.

“I don’t think he even expected him to leave, I’m not saying he was young but at 70 he’s not even decrepit and he still has a lot of projects left, the drafts of many books to be finished.” So the widow Elena Gregori, she said, moved. “I am devastated, we knew each other since I was 17 years old, how much we fought – she added – but like all corpulent people then they are very missing”.

Chronicle

Farewell to Philippe Daverio, protagonist of Milanese cultural life then seduced by politics and television

by ZITA DAZZI

“It is appropriate to say that I have no words – he added thanking for the many testimonies, messages of condolence and especially for the demonstrations of affection – He will be happy for these because he really cared, he liked that the crowd loved him. and he had proof of it, he was a special, incredible man, he had a sensitivity beyond the normal to understand situations and people, he was very generous and available to anyone who asked him for advice and opinions ”. “I think many will really regret it – he said again – certainly for us at home it is difficult.” When asked if there was still something that he would have liked to do, he replied: “I still create many things, I still had many projects.”

For me he was a North Star, a person I could always count on for an independent, autonomous and colorless opinion: he was a free soul, a free spirit. That’s why he was an invaluable treasure, “Brera director James Bradburne recalled. Instead, Mayor Beppe Sala added:” He was a person of extreme authenticity, it was impossible for him not to tell the truth, perhaps his words would not tell you. it pleases, but it was always direct, clear with an original thought “.